# Carnival shooting galleries with live ammo **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967 "2009-03-02T03:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Montechy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dfb087/32.png) [@Montechy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montechy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/41 "2018-06-28T06:19:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My memory is hazy, but I’m pretty sure that when I was a preadolescent or younger (late-'60s/early-'70s) I fired real .22 ammo (shorts, not longs or LR) at shooting galleries. ISTR going to a carnival while visiting relatives in Petaluma, CA and shooting .22 there; and I wonder if I shot .22 in Adventureland at Disneyland. > > Sometime in the '70s (I don’t know when, as I didn’t go to a lot of carnivals) shooting galleries switched to pneumatic guns firing (I suppose) reusable ball bearings, and last time I saw a shooting gallery (several years ago) it was all electronic. > > When did shooting galleries stop using .22 ammo? Your memory serves you correct. The Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz did have a live ammo shooting gallery. It was operated by the Ed Whiting family. Not only did I shoot there as a kid but also worked the the Boardwalk for over 30 years including most of that time personally knowing Ed. I even have one of the original Remington Speed Master 241 gallery rifles used at the gallery. Yes the ammo was a .22 short. The only thing special about it is it had a very soft lead tip designed to disintegrate on impact of the steel targets instead of ricocheting. Hopefully you still get notification that your question is answered. ---
**Author:** ![Montechy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dfb087/32.png) [@Montechy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montechy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/42 "2018-06-28T06:43:33Z")
I’m assuming your Visit in Petaluma most likely included a trip to the Boardwalk anyway. To answer your question about when live ammo shooting galleries started switching the one at the Boardwalk converted to a different type of skill game in the mid to late 70’s. There was two factors leading to this wich I’m sure is pretty much the cause for most. 1. the government was moving into regulating lead exposure for employees. While uncertain at the time what exactly would be required to continue operation it was general accepted it would be a significant cost 2. Federal quit manufacturing the ammo used at the galleries. Seems the gallery market and the farm/ranch market ( used for vermin control inside barns) was receding in demand As a note: in order to help the one at the Boardwalk stay operating the NRA actually located a whole train car of ammo and offered it. While a nice jester it still meant a limited supply of ammo and with the government regulation cost coming it was determined not economically viable to keep the gallery open. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/43 "2018-06-28T07:15:21Z")
Ha! NRA. Jester. I’ll leave it there. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/44 "2018-06-28T10:52:16Z")
When I was a teenager in England, back in the 50s, we had a traveling fairground locally for a couple of weeks every summer. I am positive that the shooting gallery had .22 rifles, but no idea of what ammunition they used. The rifles were chained to the countertop so that there was no possibility of shooting anything outside the range. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/45 "2018-06-28T16:27:41Z")
> [@Montechy](#): > > Your memory serves you correct. Wow! A (twice-)revived GQ thread by noobies with on-point information to add to the discussion. Quite a rarity! Welcome, **Montechy**. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967/46 "2018-06-28T17:24:10Z")
As long as the thread’s revived, I’ll add that my unreliable memory is real .22’s at the shooting gallery in Knott’s Berry Farm (L.A.). Late 50’s-early 60’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carnival-shooting-galleries-with-live-ammo/487967.md?page=2)